Fruitycake
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Monty never wanted to get on the furniture. I got him up on one loveseat (the dogs' couch) precisely once, because I was training the other dog that it was hers with dried lamb lung treats. Monty totally wanted some of that action so up he hopped and joined her! But when they were gone he jumped down and never hopped up again over the next 8 years. So you are correct that some dogs are not interested in furniture.
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One alone is hard enough, but two in one month has got to be devastating. They were both lucky to have you, especially your foster/not-foster. She had found her home. Take care of yourself.
Run free and happy, dear pups.
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And there was the time he tried my hot Red Zinger tea and yelped and threw everything hither and yon, and I think I didn't find the tea bag until I watered the snakeplant (about 4 feet from the table where the tea was) about a month later....
And how he respected Fruity as Queen cat of the house, but offered his stuffies to poor, confused Shade Man (black, longhaired boy kitty) and asked him to play....
And how he ate nearly an entire 12 ounce jar of Jif peanut butter when I was in a hurry and hadn't quite tightened the top enough when we left after eating about a tablespoon of it ("Choosy dogs choose Jif" being left open on the counter for them)....
And how he managed to get my yogurt from the center of a bar height table by carefully pulling the tablecloth when I went to answer the front door....
And how much he loved to eat fresh snow clumps from the floor when you dropped it from your shoes when coming in from a fresh snowfall....
How he begged for his burgers by staring at the fridge hard enough that I'm surprised that the door didn't have burn holes in it....
How the people at the local coffee shop were prey to his beseeching stare through their door, so they would give him a biscuit every night at last walk....
How he always looked perplexed when dogs would bark at him as he walked by, looking around himself as if wondering who they could be upset by because it couldn't possibly be *him*....
What a character.
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I couldn't do this until now.
Monty came into our life as a "medical needs" dog because of seizures when he was training in Dubuque. We had filled out the adoption forms looking for an older dog, more experienced with home life, and hopefully a 'bounce' whose attitudes, training, and likes and dislikes would be well known. We received a call about a dog that had seizures (or a seizure) of unknown type at the track, and since we were the only potential adopters that had checkmarked the "would accept a senior/medical needs dog" on the application, were we interested? We said we'd have to think about it and do research, and get back to them. So we did, looking for the worst case scenarios (and the best) to see if we could handle it. We did our research here, where many were generous with their knowledge and experiences, good and bad, and decided we would do it. It was a wonderful decision.
Not that things were always happiness and sunshine, mind you. He had never been expected to potty while on leash, and we got him just before winter and both worked full-time days. He was very shy about doing anything with us there, so it often took up to and even over an hour and a half for him to do his business - because we had no fenced yard. This was every time we went out for the first half year. Actually, I should say first 3 months and then the 'second first three months' because he had 5 or 6 seizures (tonic clonic/grand mal) in 24 hours at around the 3 month mark at our house and was like a wiped slate because he lost all memory/training but his name. So we had to start again with training. And he lost his 'big boy bark' too, and reverted to a little puppy bark, which caused me to laugh at him and him to look extremely disappointed when he beg-barked at us when we ate dinner. It is seriously hard to look at a 75 lb greyhound, in a nearly two year old body, and hear a 3-month old puppy bark emerge without laughing yourself to tears. And then laughing more because he looked so disgusted at you for laughing.
But he got on medicine that day, and the first type (phenobarbitol) worked and he never had another seizure. But we were prepared to try the different medicines we had read of here, and different dosages, and do whatever it took if they were controllable. And give him the best life for however long as we could, if not. So it was *almost* the best-case scenario, which was great news for us.
He was a good dog, pretty much from the start. Showed absolutely no interest in chasing the cats (or anything, really -even squirrels ran by and he'd look startled rather than interested). He was ruled with an iron paw by my cat Fruitcake, who took no guff from any dog, and who let him know that our laps were her territory and he was not to intrude. But once, if only once, she showed him care and affection. After he had his first seizure, in our kitchen at night, and we went out to help him as he came out of it, she came up to him as I held him and purred at him and rubbed and gave him licks on his legs. As if trying to reassure him, as he stood there trembling and looking lost and confused and wondering what was going on. I do not know why she did it, but I would like to think it was exactly what it looked like and she was also trying to reassure him that everything would turn out fine. She never did it again, but that was the sweetest thing I had ever seen her do.
So, he went on meds, re-learned stairs, windows, pottying on leash, the few commands we had worked on with him, who neighbors were and settled into a pretty good routine again. And he loved everyone but kids, who frightened him. I didn't blame him, because fast-moving, loud and high pitched kids make me nervous, too! And he loved his walks. Hated coming home, but if you were walking away from the house I swear he would continue forever. Some of our walks were over seven miles, and the only time he's slow was when we got within two blocks of home and suddenly he'd turn into exhausted-dog and just drag...but if you turned and redirected away again, he got back all his energy and looked like we'd just set out. Funny boy!
We got him a keeshond sister, Allie, who was more than slightly neurotic and nervous and loved him fiercely. She loved her big brother so much, it was amazing to see something make her nervous and she would immediately look to her brother for reassurance. We'd gotten her because it seemed he might be lonely, and while he seemed pretty indifferent, I think he was the best thing in her life. He was so calm in so many situations that made her frightened that we're surprised that she didn't learn to fear thunderstorms or fireworks from him. He helped her in social situations: putting himself forward for strangers to appreciate and let her come forward as she saw fit, or not. She usually would, after seeing him get some loving.
After my first two cats had both passed, we adopted two more and were a little concerned that they (the cats) might be nervous...but one didn't care, and the other loved him soooo much. Susie marched right up to him whenever he was lying down and would rub against him, groom his head, and sleep with her back pressed to him whenever she could. He would just sigh and roll his eyes at us at how ridiculous the cat was behaving, and could he be relieved of her excessive love, please? We would call her off, but she'd find him again and stick to him when she could. Especially after Allie passed, and Susie didn't have to share him. Our joke to him was that if he weren't so darned lovable that maybe Al and Susie wouldn't love him so desperately. It was so sweet seeing her curl up between his legs, and made ot look as if he was intentially curled up around her. He was a good big brother to her, too.
He had started having trouble with periodic stumbling and knuckling under of his back feet about two years ago, and started with coughing when eating and then periodically when lying down, so we did yet more research here and asked the vet about maybe getting him on something for laryngeal paralysis, and sent them what information we could. We even had the drug name to suggest, from here, and after doing research he was put on it. I'm not totally sure that it was working, but we did see one good side effect this summer: considerably reduced fear of thunderstorms, fireworks, and rain. He had gotten so afraid of thunderstorms that even hearing water fall on leaves outside, from a sprinkler, would send him quivering and hiding in the hallway. But this past summer he would sleep through rain, and sometimes wake to thunder, but put his head back down - and usually his hiding was confined to when our neighbor behind us would set off big booming fireworks. And when the weather radio would do the 'severe weather alert' tests. He was smart enough to have made the association of the alerts to actual thunderstorms and always hid when it sounded - for tests or for real.
His mobility had declined to where he could no longer get into the car for car rides, and he could not climb up the stairs at my Mom's house (not even for ice, his favorite favorite treat of all!) and needed to be carried up. His walks shortened, because we couldn't chance his collapsing far from home, and his appreciation for all the things he had loved slowly dimmed. He had a worse time getting up from his beds, and sometimes needed help, and sometimes seemed afraid to lie down. We knew his time was coming. When his back legs couldn't handle holding him up while standing for more than a few minutes, we knew it was time.
His passing was gentle, a relaxing and a release from the weight that his suddenly old body had become, and we know that we had the best dog and gave him the best life that we could. We miss him terribly, and know that there will never be another quite like him in our life. He set the bar very high for any dogs that follow, and so we're taking a break from dogs for a while.
He was a good, great dog. We are so glad we were the ones graced with his presence in our lives. And we've had to tell so many neighbors over the past month and a half, and they have all looked genuinely shocked and sad at his passing. He made so many friends, with his bounce and flirt at people he'd meet.
I'm going to miss him for a long time.
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Monty was butt-bald from when we got him until two years ago (8 years!) and when we changed to a different food he grew hair and has kept it since. It's thick and fluffy now. Maybe changing to whatever you will be feeding him will help it. We had gone through three different foods until this last change that seems to have made the difference. He's on Natural Balance sweet potato and venison, which we changed to because of his 'sister' needing lower fat, not because he needed the diet change. Fluffy buttness was a surprising side effect, though.
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That's why my vet said Wal Mart won't fill them anymore.
Oddly enough my vet wanted to sell me Tramadol for a huge price for Barkley and I told him that I had 120 or so for me here and he could take them. Thought I'd have to split them but oddly the dose for a 150# human and a 25# dog are the same.
When Allie (35 lb dog) was on Benedryl for allergies, she took two pills twice a day. While she was on that dosage my husband (slightly heavier than 170 lbs) started getting a cold and went for the Benedryl...he automatically took two and spent the rest of the day completely messed up because he should have only had one. The vet said something about how dogs' livers processed certain drugs differently, so that's why the much higer dosage by body weight.
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Had your mother been using the commands, and if so, using them as you do? If she was using different words or doing things differently it could be frustration on his part (he didn't know what she was asking and shut down) and might still be shut down because of it. Alternately, was she resorting to super bribes to get him to do things, and maybe he is holding out for those? It doesn't take long at all to train to require a bribe if it starts being offered.
Or maybe he is just uneasy at the changes in schedule and housemates and has gone back to a more passively waiting to see what other changes are going to be sprung on him and is 'checked out' like a newly adopted grey.
Or he's missing her because 'grandma' spoiled him rotten and now she's gone?
Or he's just not feeling great (weather changes, perhaps)? Or something happened that upset him while you were gone and he's been 'off' because of it. Did you ask 'grandma' how he was behaving/what his attitude was like for her?
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THIS!!!! The American Animal Hospital Association & I think even the AVMA only recommend this vaccine once every THREE years! There is absolutely no reason to give it more often. In fact if you titer test you will discover that it probably will be many years before it might be required. Rabies is a legal requirement but you need to ask for the THREE year rabies shot-IF the one he has is not three years. Then he only needs that every three years as well. If you don't ask they may just give the 1 year shot so they can make extra $$ every year since you legally have to give the rabies. If he was my dog he would be getting ONLY a THREE year rabies and that is ONLY if the rabies shot he already has is not a 3 year one. The others he has are still good and are good for THREE years. (There are some vets however that like to over vaccinate and do it every year because it is easy money. Beware of them as it is not good for your dog.)
This would be a good idea if your local municipality didn't have regulations stipulating the intervals required of rabies shots. I've looked at several locations and city codes stipulate specific intervals from yearly to every other or every three years. Rare is it that they refer back to the veterinarian making the call. It is also interesting if your vet is in a different municipality where the interval is different!
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Technically it was regurgitation, not vomit, I think. Think of it as the food just bouncing back up. I have a cat who eats too fast and she regurgitates it if not slowed down (she has to eat with 'play and treat' balls and some other 'treat dispenser' toys and never eats kibble from a bowl). With the speed that dogs tend to eat, I'm surprised that all of them don't end up regurgitating kibble all the time!
I wouldn't worry about it unless it became a consistent thing. Dogs, as you noted, don't tend to be bothered when they regurgitate. Monty (grey) and Susie (the cat I mentioned above) would be surprised that the food reappeared and then try eating it again (gross!).
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Get the dogs used to having and going to their own space on command and staying there, potentially where they can be contained as needed. If you're setting up a baby room, start blocking it off from the dogs now so that isn't a newly banned area when the child arrives. Your schedules will change with a baby, but try to figure out how to try to be somewhat regular with the dogs' schedules (feeding, walking, letting out) and if things will be drastically different try to shift things a bit now. You might want to try out behaviors that you will be performing with a new child (carrying a baby/bundle and talking baby talk to it) to see how tour change in attention and voice will affect the dogs, too. High-pitched baby talk can get dogs pretty excited, and so can an owner showing interest in something carried above their heads, so the combination might get a lot of attention....or not.
There are books about dogs and children that you might purchase or check out from your local library. Others here will probably have titles for you. I believe there are recordings of babies crying that might help expose the dogs to some new noises, which may help. Or have friends or relatives make recordings.
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When our Allie was on prednisone for 6 months she seriously lost weight. Her muscles wasted away and the dog who could jump to ledges 4 feet high could no longer jump intp the back of the car or onto the couch. I would never expect a dog on pred to gain weight, no matter how much water they drank. (Al also drank what seemed like gallons of water per day and had to go out at least every two hours or had accidents in the house. Keeping enough water available for Monty and yet limiting her intake was difficult, and I was the one taking Al out multiple times per night. It was he!! for everyone.) Definitely discuss side effects of prednisone with your vet, and know the anticipated length of time he'll be on it - which can mean more or less of the side effects impact your lives.
(I, myself, will never use prednisone long term ever, EVER again. And will look for any alternatives before trying it even short term. Your mileage may vary.)
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I've heard a great antidote (from this forum, can't remember the source, sorry) for cleaning up runny poop in public spaces. Slide a cheapo thin paper plate under the pooping hound! Of course the dog has to allow you to do this and not walk while pooping.
An alternate, and easier to bundle, is using newsprint paper. You can make it larger or smaller, depending on you dog's mobility while going. We used this with great success when Allie had severe bouts of IBS and things went to liquid and were absolutely not pick-up-able. Bundling for the bag is easier because it can be larger and is easier to fold/make a pocket to drop in.
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I wanted to leave a follow up reply here. Giving my sweet Frannie a little kibble before bed has stopped her rising early with an upset stomach. Thanks everyone. Of course her sister Chloe thinks this is a great idea, so we'll have to keep an eye on her svelte figure for her...
You could always just trim a little of their normal food from a prior meal and give *that* as the small meal just before bed. It doesn't have to be extra food, and doing it for both would make it an easy routine for all. No weight gain required!
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Labradors have a somewhat different approach to life than greys, and I would seriously doubt that one instance of your dog telling off a lab puppy would make much of an impact. They are enthusiastically rough-and-tumble, and unlikely to accept your dog's message to stop - especially if the owner doesn't reinforce the message that another dog is trying to give by calling him off/ending playtime. He could very well just ramp up his own behavior because he might think 'that's just how this dog plays' and feel he can 'play' that way, too. If that happens, it might cause a real bite by your dog someday, especially as the pup ages and loses the 'puppy grace period' where poor behavior is somewhat tolerated. (In humans, for example, a screaming fit given by a baby or toddler is somewhat tolerated, while the same behavior in an 8-year-old gets much less sympathy and a lot more irritation/anger.)
I'd avoid that area when the puppy is out there, and if the pup comes out when you're there, I'd leave immediately.
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You got a puppy-aged greyhound. She's a lot more comfortable and instead of being on her best behavior she's relaxed to the point where she feels comfortable enough to let her natural puppy energy show. We got one, too, and the first 8 months or so he slowly settled in and watched us and figured out he was home and then his puppy came out to play!
The cat incident is unfortunate, but not entirely unexpected for a dog that apparently has a prey drive (and a cat that was unprepared for it). My sympathies to you and the cat's owners. I don't think that drive has anything to do with her nipping (or air snapping?) at your children - that's more of a play behavior and often directed at those they play with (dogs, and unfortunately sometimes humans). It sounds like she is going to need a lot more stimulation and directed play, with toys she can catch, toss around, and scoop up instead of directing her mouth at people. Can you tell when she's getting rambunctious and intercede and take her outside and play with her there without the children present? If she gets mouthy, shove a soft toy in her mouth or toss it and if she aims for you all play stops and you give her a time out. She isn't going to differentiate between her toys and those of your children's toys, though, so that means keeping their toys out of her reach henceforth.
She will likely settle down in time, and greyhounds are smart enough to learn proper behavior given the proper (to them) incentive to make the right choice themselves. You can see about doing some training with her for rewards that she thinks are high value, to exercise her mind. There are obedience lessons, but there are also silly things like hiding treats and teaching her to find them on command, or playing 'catch' by calling her from one person to another where each has her desired reward for coming to them. Walking her and letting her sniff and explore with her nose can also help (very important in young dogs, even if they do have a fenced yard to play in).
I hope you can learn to appreciate and work with your 'puppy' behaved greyhound and work on encouraging her to behave appropriately by giving her outlets for her energy and enthusiasm. Good luck, and there are many here who have lived through it and can help with suggestions!
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Is there any possibility of taking him out sooner/more often? Our Monty is almost 12 and I've noticed that he has a greater difficulty holding his wastes than he used to - when he gets the urge it's absolutely time to take him out! Even when he's walking it seems his tail knows he's going before his head has as much as a hint that he has to stop and get ready. The increase in water with his food may be a contributing factor, but only if he is still drinking the same amount of 'free' water.
Has he had a recent blood test to check kidney values? I know that in cats there can be significant changes in kidney function before blood tests show anything even if they've started drinking more water - others here may know more about dogs' kidney blood tests. Maybe a specific gravity test on his urine might be in order.
Good luck!
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Sounds like you hit your near-perfect solution.
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Congratulations to you and your new family member!
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Check with local rescue groups that foster cats and ask them if any of their cats are currently living comfortably with large dogs. We lucked out with Monty, who has absolutely no prey drive and doesn't give a hoot about the cats - even kittens (we've fostered two litters and used him as an 'easy dog introduction' to make them more adoptable). But for an even slightly more interested dog, an older cat who lives with dogs and knows how to 'keep them in line' and how not to freak out about them doing crazy rompies in the house might be the best bet for you.
Either way, it is very important to have the new cat(s) able to settle into a room at first, then gently allow them to come out and see the dog (while dog is leashed if there is any doubt). And have lots of hidey areas, and litterboxes in multiple locations, just in case the dog does scare them into not wanting to go to a single location (dog is between cat and stairs to basement where box is, say). And reward reward reward for good behavior!
I hope you can find a good match for your house!
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Sorry, but he didn't "try to bite your son" - he snapped at him. Dogs know where their teeth are and if he'd truly wanted to bite, your son would be a lot more injured. Dogs snap at one another to get the point across, and unfortunately for us their fur and own reaction speeds usually can prevent contact or damage (not so with slower, furless humans, especially older or little ones). That isn't to say that keeping them separated isn't a good idea, it is! But the 'warning with teeth' was probably because of stress or pain and fear that your child when falling was going to end up too close or actually on him.
Pain can make anyone testy and defensive, so I'm wholeheartedly in support of keeping them separated for everyone's safety and comfort. But I hope you are also giving affection and comfort to the dog so he doesn't have that added stress (being excluded from hanging with the family).
I hope you have a good vet, and that they can get to the bottom of the problem. My Monty is just about 12, so I don't consider 7 old at all!
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Don't let him hover over the baby, in or out of the bassinet. Reward for going to his own area when the baby is out, and maybe set up zones so the bassinet can be out but he can't hover. Looming over a baby like that makes me nervous. Babies make lots of noises that could potentially be interpreted as prey-like, and they certainly don't move like "people" to a dog!
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Monty has been switched from Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream to Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Diet Venison & Sweet Potato - because it has lower fat and our other dog had periodic bouts of IBS/IBD symptoms, and his output has improved in consistency and the noxious fumes have pretty much stopped (except when he gets treats). His reaction to Taste was great at first but went softer and stinkier after years on it. I don't know if it was this specific type of food, or just switching to something different, but we're pleased with it.
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It's been many years since Monty (also 75 lbs) first went on pheno, but I know they started him at a higher dose at first before lowering it to the current 64.8 mg every twelve hours which he's been on for at least 8 years. I think he was on a higher dose for a few months.
When he first went on it at 1.75 years old we went through the drunk stage, but I don't think he was quite as bad as you have described and I'm not sure how much of Monty's drunkenness might have been from his hard-drive reboot (6 seizures in 24 hours caused some memory loss). I wonder if there might be any interactions with other meds he might be on, or if he's just individually more heavily impacted by it. I would maybe give it another week and have them test his blood levels and see if he could be lowered to the lower end of the thereapeutic range (Monty had been on the high side and his dosage was lowered because we asked for it and there was enough leeway for the dosage reduction). Or if paying for an extra blood test so soon isn't out of the question, see if they would do it now and find his values and adjust from there. It can be a while before things settle down if the biological system in question is excessively reactive (or unreactive) to the medicine in question.
Good luck! (And good to see you back!)
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We did hiding kibbles under plastic cups or yogurt containers for fun, and we played hide-and-seek (easier with multiple people so you can also play 'catch' with the dog). We also did training with a box, where you put a box (any size or type) and have a target behavior that you try to shape the dog's actions to get progressively closer to by rewarding and 'marking' (clicker training doesn't need to be a clicker, as someone else mentioned!) a behavior and rewarding as the dog gets a little closer to what you want. For a fresh grey, it can be as simple as touching the box with a nose at first. I think I got that from Sophia Yin...but it could have been Karen Pryor or another one of the reward-based training experts. Really, training can be very cheap and instead of a clicker use a word or other easy and unscary noise instead.
Hiya! New To The Forum, Questions On Greyhounds:)
in Introductions & Biography
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1. Humane to you, or neighbors? If you're worried about not having a fenced yard to run in, we never had one for Monty. Multiple walks a day for exercise and bathroom breaks, but that is in all weather types, and you'll be out there too, so prepare yourself for it. If you're worried about having a dog that barks or whines when they are alone, you would have to see about getting one that doesn't have separation anxiety. And you may want to be on good terms with neighbors and explain that there will likely be barking and whining for a while even if they aren't particularly anxious. Cookies, brownies, even just a visit to show you're trying will help.
2. Fragile? Are you thinking about *Italian* greyhounds (10-20 lbs) and not full-sized greyhounds (55+ lbs)? Greys are not particularly fragile! They are athletes, and fragility doesn't last long in any sport! Some greys have trouble with stairs merely because they may never have seen them and haven't grown up learning to use them when small, and their stride and our stride bear little resemblance on stairs so they're more awkward for them.
3. Dog parks are a mixed bag and frequently depend on the people who frequent them. But yes, parasites and diseases can be transmitted anywhere dogs meet, and where dog waste is likely (definitely dog parks!). Some people are great at picking up, while others don't give a poop to pick it up. That makes for a bad park! Also problematic are people who don't watch their dogs, who don't understand dog body language, who don't realize that their dog *must* be well behaved AND controllable in an off leash situation. With that in mind, greyhounds aren't a great listener in themselves, and can be off to the other end of a park in an instant which means that you will not be able to be right there if something happens. Recall can be difficult to train, because they aren't bred and trained to obey like many are, so they're more independently minded. Also, please don't consider going and releasing your dog if you aren't sure that you can catch him/her! I've seen people who haven't been able to catch their dog until the dog was good and ready (=dangerous and frustrating!).
As for running with other dogs, it depends on the individual dogs and how they behave. Some think a game of running around together is great fun, while others get too hyped up and get mouthy or start wrestling and that can cause injuries quickly! If one dog is muzzled, all should be. And you should see how the dogs interact before releasing them, because sometimes there is just a personality conflict. Or one acts like a jerk or bully and can cause snarking or snarling...which can cause a true fight. Many people here say it just isn't worth the risk. You *must* know your own dog before even attempting it, because you don't want to be the one bringing the jerk into the park! That can mean months or over a year before you know how your dog truly will react.
Running free is not a requirement. Monty did crazy zoomies from one room to another (carpeted area) and that was only maybe 25 feet long. Some get the crazies out by just spinning in place in smaller areas than that.
4. Controlled interactions will help ensure a small-dog-friendly grey won't be able to get overexuberant and potentially injure the small one. Don't just throw them together, and nip any overexcitement in the bud. That means from the little one, too. The small one may offer to play and just through running get in the way of greyhound bodies and legs and get tumbled. Some greys can and will play great with others of any size, some only run, some get mouthy when they play, and some will look terribly insulted when someone else shows up to their 'play' session and stop and pout. I'd be cautious if your dog is a 'yelper' because that can trigger things to get way too intense quickly.
5. The breed is pretty healthy in general, because they've been bred to be athletes. If you're talking about retired racers, they have had generations of breeding and culling of those that don't perform or are unhealthy genetically. My Monty's litter, for example, had 6 pups, only one made it to racing, and she wasn't up to snuff and only had one season before retirement. I don't know why the other 4 of his litter didn't race, but Monty had seizures (which is why he didn't make it, and probably why they never made that particular cross again). Other than that, he was healthy, hale and hearty until about six months before we said goodbye because his body just suddenly started failing. At 12+ years old. In general, a very healthy breed. Accidents and diseases happen, as they do to all breeds, but not at excessively high rates. The discussions here, in Health & Medical especially, are outliers. It would be like going to the hospital and talking with the people there and assuming that heart attacks, strokes, car accidents, and other ailments were prevalent in the human population at those high levels.